Lifelong fan Pendleton strives to play for Astros

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Lance Pendleton used to pile in the car with his family on those summer nights, ready for adventure.

“Dad, where are we going?” Pendleton would say when he was 8, 9, 10 years old.

“We’re going to Drayton’s house,” David Pendleton would say.

“Who’s that?”

They’d pull into the Astrodome parking lot, and Lance Pendleton would have his answer. Drayton McLane since has upgraded the Astros’ digs to Minute Maid Park. Pendleton is grown up, consumed by the prospect of calling Minute Maid his office.

Pendleton, 27, is in Astros camp competing for a spot in the rotation. The Astros acquired him as a Rule 5 draftee from the New York Yankees, who drafted him out of Rice in 2005. Pendleton grew up in Kingwood, an Astros fan for as long as he can remember, and played on Rice’s 2003 national championship team.

“I enjoyed my time with the Yankees, but if you understand, I’m not really itching to go back,” Pendleton said. “I want to stay.”

The Astros paid $50,000 for the rights to Pendleton, a righthander who is 24-13 in the past two seasons in the minor leagues. If the Astros don’t keep Pendleton in the major leagues the entire season, they have to offer him back to the Yankees for $25,000.

Five years removed from Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, Pendleton offers intriguing possibilities. His brain might be 27, but his arm has only 526 innings of college and minor league mileage.

“I like him a lot,” Astros pitching coach Brad Arnsberg said. “I like his stuff. He’s kind of that older guy with a younger arm, a fixed arm, a new arm. I see some great upside.”

The Yankees saw enough upside to spend a fourth-round pick on Pendleton in 2005, though he had pitched only 53 2⁄3 innings in three seasons at Rice (6-3, 3.69 ERA, 50 strikeouts). Pendleton was a right fielder first, a relief pitcher occasionally for a well-armed Rice staff. As a sophomore, Pendleton batted .326 with 11 home runs and drove in 38 runs in 50 games. As a junior, he slumped to .255 with eight homers and 44 RBIs in 61 games.

Occasional power

“Growing up,” Pendleton said, “they always told me, ‘You need to quit pitching. Your swing is too good. You’re going to be a hitter.’ Wouldn’t you know, I’m a pitcher? I love to hit. I had a little power, and I liked hitting home runs. I had the power I needed, but I had a hole in my bat every now and then.”

Pendleton was only 27 innings into his pro career when he had to try to make his arm whole surgically. The Tommy John procedure cost him all of the 2006 season and all but 132⁄3 innings of 2007.

“There were a lot of blessings that come from it,” Pendleton said. “I obviously would have preferred not to have Tommy John surgery, but I made some lemonade out of those lemons.”

For one thing, Pendleton had the time on his hands to complete the 15 course hours remaining to get his degree in sports management. For another, he met his wife, Jenny Leigh, while rehabilitating in Tampa, Fla.

Pendleton also went about learning how to pitch. He is 31-22 with a 3.42 ERA in the past three seasons, with 382 strikeouts and 149 walks in 4312⁄3 innings.

“I was a thrower,” Pendleton said. “In college, I was a relief guy coming in from right field. I got on the mound, and I just threw the ball as hard as I could. I didn’t know exactly where it was going.”

Pendleton works off a fastball that generally clocks in at 90-91 mph and a curveball. He added a slider to his repertoire last season, going a combined 12-5 with a 3.61 ERA at Trenton (AA) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA). In the Astros’ 13-3 loss to the Braves in the Grapefruit League opener Monday, Pendleton worked a scoreless inning.

“He’s throwing the ball very well,” Astros manager Brad Mills said. “He’s really made a good impression. He’s a strike-thrower. He’s been consistent so far. That shows he was really working in the offseason.”

Eye on his dream

Pendleton’s family had Astros season tickets. When the Astros took him in the Rule 5 draft, one of those who offered congratulations was the ticket-taker he came to know at the Astrodome. Now that he has his foot in the organizational door, he would like to make himself at home in Drayton’s house.

“It’s an amazing opportunity,” Pendleton said. “I’m not here to go back. I’m here to be with the Houston Astros.”